2015 Season – Training Camp

This year the BUMS become “21 and legal” as they say in the States and the 2015 BUMS NFL Fantasy Draft will take place at BUMS Headquarters from 5pm on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon August 31st. It will be followed by a sumptuous banquet provided by Cheryl. The first game of the season (Steelers@ Patriots) is on Thursday September 10th. We’ll be getting together on the evening of Friday 11th September to watch it. Trading Day 1 will be at HQ from 3pm on October 18th before week 6’s games and Trading Day 2 will be on November 15th before week 10. I hope as many of you as possible can make them, please put these in your diaries now. Franchise Players I hope you are all back for another season. If not please can you let me know asap as the time for the selection of our 2015-16 Franchise players has arrived. You must supply the name of your new Franchise Man by July 1st. To help out a few bits of research are on the way. Firstly attached is the final table with each players teams (so you can remember who you had on your squad in the first place) and how much they will cost you for the next two years if you Franchise them. You can also sign any player you put on Injured Reserve. Last year we had 2 such players but this year 8 players went on BUMS IR to end their seasons. They are identified in column AF of the Final2014Teams spreadsheet, but note the team they are listed against is last years team. They may have moved clubs or be out of the league for all I know. Remember if you cut your franchise player you still pay him his signed salary for the rest of the season/two seasons. Ron is paying Rams RB Zac Stacy $0.5m this year and Chief is paying former Eagle QB Nick Foles $0.5m so each have a $9.5m budget to spend on their eight players. This year’s big names becoming available include QBs RG3, Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson; Running Backs Marshawn Lynch, Alfred Morris and Adrian Peterson & Receivers Julio Jones and Demaryius Thomas as they have all ended their 2 year Franchise designation and become free agents. They are released onto the open market together with the rookies - the rookie report (attached) details the 30 players from the first 3 rounds of the NFL Draft who may be available to us this season, together with who signed them. According to CBS Sports these were the key free agency moves:- the NFLs leading Rusher DeMarco Murray left Dallas for Phili, former Bronco TE Julius Thomas is now a Jaguar, Wideout Torrey Smith left Baltimore to catch balls in San Francisco and Jeremy Maclin is now a Chief receiver not an Eagle. Meanwhile RB CJ Spiller left the Bills to join the Saints. See their analysis of the top 125 free agents of 2015 at:- http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25080430/nfl-free-agent-tracker-see-where-the-top-125-names-go Team Nicknames If you wish to change your teams nickname you can do so, again this should be with me by July 1st. So that’s it… 3 things to email me by the end of the month. 1) Are you in for the 2015 season, 2)Your 2015-16 Franchise player & 3) Your team nickname